Tag Archives | Retrofitting

February is a great time to be in Melbourne. The weather is warm and the whole city is abuzz with “sustainability” events. Albeit only for a month, it is still warming to see a whole lot of people embracing the concept of sustainability.

Naturally the man who once chose the subtitle of his book to read “principles and pathways beyond sustainability” is in demand at such a time. As we reported here earlier David Holmgren is taking the stage with some of the sharpest thinkers and keen doers to discuss whether to collapse or not to on Feb 13. More about the great debate here.

In the following week on Feb 19, he and Su Dennett from Melliodora go to Melbourne to take part in “#EatBuyGrow Rally + Event” organised by Regrarians. Both David and Su will be addressing the rally during the day and the evening event alongside Joel Salatin (‘World’s Most Innovative Farmer’ ), Costa Georgiadis (Gardening Australia), Cyndi O’Meara (Changing habits), Belinda Hagan (2013 Victorian Farmer of the Year), Tammi Jonas (Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance President) and many many others.

The day is aims to raise awareness of what producers are going through due to irrational government regulations which seem to want to sever ties with urban consumers. This is the rally bit, but the day is also for celebration of the regenerative food system of producers, chefs and consumers all maintaining vibrant connection with each other. So, why don’t you join us? More details here.

Then on Feb 28th, at the invitation of one of the residents, none other than Greg Foyster, David is going to present “Retrofitting the suburbs” at Murundaka Cohousing Community. It is a whole day event, Solar Saturday Lounge Party, to raise funds to install solar panels on the community building. David will take part along with Melliodora’s Su Dennett in the “Hypotheticals” panel discussion chaired by Rod Quantock in the afternoon. Why don’t you come down for a whole great fun filled day at Heidelberg Heights? More details here.

How come permaculture co-originator (an old codger) David Holmgren is using a surfing metaphor to talk about suburbia at the Rainbow Serpent festival, in the dry inland, to mostly young people who don’t own a house and have most likely recently escaped suburbia to find their way in the world?
David traces the history of suburbia from the 1950’s through to the present and on into a challenging future that is already unfolding using an entertaining and edgy story about his imaginary but amazingly true-to-life Aussie Street.

While many young people are now questioning the idea of debt to become home owners, few can see a pathway forward that will give them some capacity to create the world they do want.
David shows how getting out of debt, downsizing and rebooting our dormant household and community non-monetary economies are the best hedges that ordinary citizens can make.

The idea that these household and community economies could achieve unprecedented growth rates if the monetary economy takes a serious dive, is a good news story you won’t hear from mainstream media. The metaphor of surfing suggests a stronger role for positive risk taking behaviour change without the need for expensive changes to the built environment that few will be able to afford. The permaculture makeover and behaviour change in a retrofitted Aussie St allows the residents to not only survive but thrive through the “dumpers” of the property bubble collapse, climate chaos and geopolitical energy shocks that hit the lucky country in the Second Great Depression of the 2020’s .

An endearing, amusing and gutsy story of hope for in-situ adaptation by the majority of Australians living in our towns and suburbs.

And if you think it is just a dream, check out some of the examples of Aussie Street style retrofitting of the suburb.

Hulbert Street in Fremantle, WA is a great example. Here, a driving force behind neighbourhood remaking, Shani Graham, talks about her experience in a Tedx talkfest in Perth. A permaculture activist in the Blue Mountains in NSW, Paula Ajuria informed us late last year that a neighbourhood retrofit is underway. We are sure there are many other Aussie Streets out there, and hopefully after Rainbow, there will be many more.

Come and see how the real Aussie dreams are made at Rainbow.
See our Event page for more details.

What is going on in the world? What can we do about it, you wonder? Climate change, peak energy, and global finance seem to be the biggest worries of many people. Naturally so, because according to David Holmgren, they are the key elements deciding our world, and our future.

How are these factors behaving now, and how are they likely to behave in future and, more importantly, how will they influence each other? What’s the future hold for us? This exploration of our future is very fittingly to be held in Canberra, Australia’s capital.

Holmgren Design, in association with Permaculture eXchange, SEE-Change ACT, SCPA South East Producers, Urban Agriculture Australia, Canberra City Farm, The Goulburn Group, Slow Food Canberra and FuturePLANS is pleased to announce this extensive presentation and Q and A evening to discuss such profound matters with David Holmgren will be held in Canberra on December 9.

David will outline first where we are at, and our likely future. Then he will offer a permaculture solution. He will offer direct practical strategies in his presentation to help households and communities survive, thrive and contribute to a better world, drawing on 30 years of permaculture living, teaching, designing and building agricultural food production systems for sustainable living.

Please do not miss this limited opportunity (David rarely travels even interstate). Be part of the session to figure out what is on offer and what we can do about it. Be part of the solutions thinking.

David Holmgren looking short with “tall poppies” of Tassie permaculture Hannah Moloney and Anton Vikstrom

Hobart July 19 was the final gig of the Foss/Holmgren around Australia speaking tour. With Nicole Foss back to NZ David took the opportunity of extended presentation time (80 minutes) to expand on some of the financial issues covered by Nicole and to add more creative ad lib flourishes to Aussie St.

Described by Brisbane permaculture pioneer Dick Copeman as “the permaculture soap opera” Aussie St is a light hearted but gutsy look at opportunities for creative in-situ adaptation in suburbia to the emerging crises of contracting economics, geo-political instability, peak oil and climate change.

This event hosted by Good Life Permaculture at Sustainable Living Tasmania was broadcast live on YouTube. Despite the less than perfect visuals (and David being tired from teaching all day on the Good Life Permaculture Design Course) this broadcast is well worth viewing for anyone who missed the Foss/Holmgren tour.

David Holmgren gave a Lunchbox/Soapbox talk at the The Wheeler Centre in February 2012, exploring the profound improvements that the application of permaculture principles and strategies could deliver for the sustainability and liveability of today’s suburbs.

Through the microcosm of four adjacent houses in ‘Aussie Street’, Holmgren demonstrates how suburbs can and will respond to the converging economic, energy and climate crises, and discovers how you can stimulate positive household and community resilience in the face of these pressures.

Currency converter (from Australian $)

The Hepburn Relocalisation Network

A community group based in Hepburn and Daylesford in Central Victoria, Australia that David and his partner Su Dennett are involved with. Recognising the urgent realities of peak oil and climate change this group is responding by raising awareness about how these issues affect the local community, and how to respond to these realities with a plan for the future.

Future Scenarios

FutureScenarios.org presents an integrated approach to understanding the potential interaction between Climate Change and Peak Oil using a scenario planning model. In the process David introduces permaculture as a design system specifically evolved over the last 30 years to creatively respond to futures that involve progressively less and less available energy.